178 BULLETIN 186, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



GLAUCIDIUM BRODIEI BRODIEI (Burton) 



Indian Collared Pygmy Owl 



Noctua Brodiei Bukton, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1835 [=1836], p. 152 ("apud 

 Montes Hiinalayenses" ; type locality restricted to Simla, apud Stuart Baker). 



Glaucidium brodiei, Gyldenstolpe, Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam, 1915, p. 233 (Khun 

 Tan) ; Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1916, p. 121 (Khun Tan, Pha Kho) ; 

 Ibis, 1920, p. 754 (Khun Tan, Pha Kho). 



Glaucidium brodiei tubiger, de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 

 1929, p. 576 (Ban Chong, 10 km. south of the Kengtung border) ; 1934, p. 269 

 (Doi Suthep). — Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, p. 164 

 (Doi Suthep) ; 1936, p. 90 (Doi Suthep). — Chasen and Boden Kloss, Journ. 

 Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1932, p. 234 (Doi Suthep).— Kxley, U. S. Nat. 

 Mus. Bull. 172, 1938, p. 151 (Khun Tan). 



In Chiang Mai Province this diminutive owl is apparently confined 

 to the mountains: on Doi Suthep it was common from the summit 

 down to 3,500 feet, rare to 2,700 feet ; on Doi Ang Ka it was heard 

 constantly at 4,400 feet ; on Khun Tan Smith took specimens only at 

 4,000 feet. In Nan and Chiang Rai Provinces, where the evergreen 

 reaches the plains, it occurs also in the lowlands : De Schauensee col- 

 lected one at Ban Chong in teak, and I have a specimen from Ban Hai 

 Huai Som, at a still lower elevation. 



On the western mountains it occurred at the edge of the evergreen, 

 in the open forest of oak and chestnut, and even in the pinewoods. 

 The bird must be extremely common, for its soft, whistled toot'-too- 

 toot-toot' is heard day and night from all sides throughout the year. 

 The sound is highly ventriloquial and can rarely be traced to the singer, 

 although, when discovered, the latter may be perched, huddled against 

 the trunk of a small tree, only a few feet from the observer. I have 

 several times had my attention directed to the owl by the excitement 

 of flocks of small passerine birds and again by its habit, when alarmed, 

 of jerking the tail violently from side to side. One of my specimens 

 had the stomach filled with grasshoppers. 



A female had the irides golden-yellow; the eyelids edged brown; 

 the cere and bill olive-green, the maxilla tipped yellow ; the toes light 

 green ; the soles yellow ; the claws black. 



This species has the upperparts grayish brown or yellowish brown, 

 on the head and nape barred and spotted, on the remaining portions 

 (including the tail) barred, with grayish white or buff; across the 

 upper back a buff collar, enclosing at either side a large black spot ; 

 the underparts white, sometimes suffused with cream, with a narrow 

 brown gorget across the throat, brown and rufous bars at the sides of 

 the breast, rufous spots and broad streaks down the flanks. 



